These Things Are Rigged
by StrykrWolf
Summary: Emma tries to win Regina a stuffed horse but in the end they somehow end up lost in a maze. One Shot. SwanQueen.


**Title:** _These Things Are Rigged_

**Chapter One: **_Rocinante the Horse_

**Rating:** _K_

**Summary:** _Emma tries to win Regina a stuffed horse but in the end they somehow end up lost in a maze. One Shot. SwanQueen._

**Disclaimer:** _I don't own Regina Mills, Emma Swan, Henry Mills or anyone from Once Upon a Time; they are property of Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz and ABC. _

**A/N:** _This one shot is dedicated to all my followers on Tumblr. They are an amazing bunch and you should go follow them all! I promised I would write a one shot when I reached 100 followers and I have. All mistakes are mine. Enjoy!_

* * *

Everything seemed to be back to normal in Storybrooke. Well, as normal as it could get for a magical town in Maine. Henry was back safely from Neverland along with everyone in the rescue group. And thanks to the invisibility spell Belle cast over the town no other outsiders bothered the now peaceful town.

In order to celebrate the new found peace the residents of Storybrooke decided to throw a little fair. The fair had been planned for an entire week and Henry was really excited to go. He watched as Emma walked around the apartment on her cell phone, "Yes, Snow we'll meet you there. We'll see you in about thirty minutes. Love you too…bye."

"Can we go now?" Henry began to do the patented puppy dog pout but Emma rolled her eyes as she looked up from turning off her cellphone, "That's not going to work on me kid I taught you that! Plus, we're going to head out."

"Yes!" Henry jumped up and down. He was so excited he ran to the door and headed down the stairs. Emma, on the other hand, followed at a slower pace. She regretted letting him have that bear claw with lunch…and a hot cocoa. She sighed maybe she wasn't cut out for this mom stuff.

When she finally made it outside Henry was already sitting in her Bug waiting. She got in and began to drive. Henry didn't waste any time and turned to Emma, "Are we going to pick up Mom?"

Emma glanced from the road, "Yeah, we are, kid."

"Yes!" Henry air pumped and grinned. Emma smiled at his antics and continued to drive. When they arrived outside of the mansion Emma turned to Henry, "I'm going to go up by myself first, okay?"

"Why?" Henry asked with a tilt of his head, "We know she's not all that evil and she helped rescue me. Why aren't you giving her a break?"

Emma thought back to how hard they fought for Henry in Neverland, especially Regina. After they arrived back home she didn't really think anything of it when Henry started to spend time with her. But it was because Regina let him, right? She began to feel guilty when she realized that maybe Henry hasn't been spending a lot of time with Regina. It wasn't fair to her she did raise him for ten years and deserved to spend more time with him. Emma looked up at the mansion then to Henry, "I'm sorry kid. You're right let's go."

They made their way up to the door and Henry hid behind Emma planning to 'scare' his mom. Emma smiled at her son and knocked she didn't have to wait long. Regina soon opened the door with her mask firmly in place, fake smile and all, "Hello Miss Swan."

"Hey," Emma smiled, "Do you remember what today is?"

Regina scoffed, "Of course I do. What kind of mother do you think I am? Oh wait. You don't think I am one."

"Regina-" Emma began but was cut off when Henry jumped from behind her. He yelled, "Hey Mom!"

"Hey Henry!" Regina's mask soon melted and she wore a genuine smile. Emma felt her stomach flutter when she looked at that smile. Regina bent down and hugged Henry, "Are you excited?"

He nodded enthusiastically, "Of course I am!"

"Then why don't you meet us in the car?" Regina leaned back up and smoothed out his hair. As she watched him go she called out, "We're taking my car!"

Emma turned back around only to see Regina still watching Henry, "Does he really want me to go?"

"Yes, he really does. It's the only thing he's talked about all week," Emma said with a smile. Regina smiled but quickly remembered who was with her. She took control of her emotions and began to walk out, "Alright let's go."

"Whatever you say Madame Mayor," Emma mumbled. Even though Regina wasn't technically the mayor anymore she still went and did the job. So to Emma she was still the mayor. Emma climbed into Regina's car and asked, "What do you have against my car anyway?"

Regina looked at her through the rearview mirror and raised an eyebrow, "Do you really want to know?"

Emma huffed and crossed her arms, "No."

Regina looked back and tried to suppress a smile. They arrived at the fair a short time later. It was near the end of summer so the weather was perfect. It was set up near the outskirts of town. They had booths full of treats and even ones where you could win prizes. There was even a stage where karaoke could be done but the main attraction was the maze.

As they were walking up to enter the fair they saw Snow White and David. Snow came up and hugged Emma, "Hello!"

"Hi Snow," Emma hugged back. David waved at them and put an arm around Henry's shoulder, "Hey bud. Why don't we go buy the tickets?"

As they headed off Snow turned toward Regina. She was expecting distain or some type of negative emotion from the other woman but she was not prepared for what Snow did next.

She hugged her.

I mean like bear hugged her the same way she hugged Emma, "Hey Regina! I'm glad you could make it!"

Regina looked to Emma for answers who simply shrugged. Regina hesitantly hugged Snow back like she was afraid she would disappear into thin air, "Hello Snow. Of course I came I wouldn't miss this."

Snow pulled away and smiled wide. She looked back and forth between Emma and Regina. But before more awkward silence could ensue David and Henry returned with the tickets. David handed a ticket to Regina who was surprised they bought her one. She went to fish her money out of her pocket when David stopped her, "We insist Regina besides you're family."

Henry watched them interact with a smile Maybe things would turn out okay after all. They headed inside and that's when Snow and David dismissed themselves, "We're going to meet some old friends. How about we meet you in an hour?"

"Okay," Emma nodded, "You two have fun."

"You too," David and Snow replied then turned around.

Nearly thirty minutes passed and the rag tag family was having a great time…well all except one. Regina still felt like the outsider of the group. She understood that redemption would take more than a trip to Neverland but as she watched their son - yes **their **son she was being nice now - with Emma she wondered if they would ever truly forgive her.

Her gaze slowly drifted from the mother and son pair to a nearby booth. She saw a giant stuffed horse that reminded her so much of the one she lost many years ago. She looked at the game and it seemed to be a simple one of tossing rings onto bottles.

'_I can do that_,' Regina thought but she was soon knocked out of her thoughts when someone bumped into her.

Emma omphed as she was tackled by Henry, "Nice one kid."

He smiled up at her and she threw an arm over his shoulder and brought him in for a hug. She glanced back and noticed that Regina wasn't behind them anymore. She did notice, however, that Regina was standing in front of a booth. Emma took a moment to observe the woman that simultaneously frustrated her and made her stomach flutter.

Emma noticed that people weren't as scared to get close to Regina as before. They were walking right past her as if she was just another resident. A lot has changed since the curse broke a lot more still has to be done but Emma thinks Regina is up to the-

Her thoughts were interrupted when Henry wrestled out of her hug. She turned towards him and asked, "Why do you think she's over there?"

"She probably wants to win that stuffed horse. She loves horses," he replied. Emma turned back toward the booth and there was indeed a giant stuffed horse.

"I have an idea," Emma grinned. Henry looked up at her skeptically, "What is it?"

"How about we win that horse for your mom? Wouldn't that make her happy?" Emma smiled down at Henry. He looked from Emma to Regina and smiled himself, "Yeah, I think you're right."

"Damn-I mean darn right I'm right!" she exclaimed as she pumped as her grin grew wider. Henry jumped in excitement and headed toward the booth. That's when she saw the figure bump into Regina, '_Fuck. Someone just ran into Regina. I better stop this._'

But as she got closer, and as the crowd began to form, she noticed Regina was surprisingly calm and then she saw the culprit.

Regina spun to glare at the offender but soon realized that it was Granny. She was with Ruby, Snow, and David. Regina's eyes instantly softened at the sight of the older woman. Granny Lucas was one of the first residents to warm up to her. But she also wouldn't take any of Regina's crap. It was an odd relationship and Regina was glad to have a…friend…like Granny.

"I'm sorry Granny," Regina couldn't meet her eyes and looked down. Granny looked at Regina, "It was my fault child. There is no need for you to be sorry, okay?"

Granny lifted up Regina's chin and smiled, "And how many times have I asked you to call me Eugenia?"

"About a thousand," Regina smiled. Granny brought her into a hug. Everyone was surprised that Regina apologized and that she reacted that way. Everyone except Snow. She knew Regina had a complicated past with her mother and since her death Granny made it her mission to take the role.

Emma stepped up and with a smile, "I've asked her to call me Emma a million times and she still doesn't. I think you'll have to ask her a few more times."

Regina glared at Emma and Granny smiled as she looked from Regina to Emma.

"I really am sorry _**Eugenia**_," Regina said with a smirk as she glanced at Emma out of the corner of her eyes. Emma's mouth flew open in mock hurt and Granny could only chuckle at their antics. As she patted Regina's back one last time she turned to leave but not without saying one last thing, "You two fight like a married couple."

That comment got the two in question to blush profusely. Emma turned to Regina and opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by Henry, "Can I play Ma?"

Emma sheepishly looked away from Regina and down to Henry, "Sure, kid. I did promise you after all."

They turned toward the booth and handed the gentleman some money. He in turn handed them five rings each. He then explained how they could win, "If you land a ring on a yellow tinted bottle you win a small prize but if you land it on the red tinted bottle you win a big prize."

Emma looked at the collection of bottles. She spared one last glace at Regina then looked at the bottles. It was not in her favor. The majorities were clear while a small few were yellow tinted but there were three that were red. She just had to get one. Emma stuck her tongue out in concentration and aimed her first ring and…completely missed. I mean it didn't even get near any of the bottles. It was kind of sad.

She could hear Regina try and muffle her laughter from behind. Emma turned around to say something but then she saw it again; Regina's smile. It made Emma's brain short-circuit and she felt her stomach flutter again. She shook her head then looked back at the game, '_I'm going to win her that stuffed pony_ _if it is last thing I do._'

The next two attempts went much like the first except they landed closer to the actual bottles. Emma decided to stop for a second and watch Henry who was actually doing quite well. He had already won a small stuffed animal.

Emma looked at him, "Why don't you win her that," she stealthily nodded to the prize.

"I can try but to tell you the truth I was actually lucky when I won this," He said as he pointed to the little stuffed dog. Emma picked up another ring and decided that this ring would be the lucky one. It wasn't but it did land on a bottle although it was clear.

She glared at the many bottles before her and mumbled under her breath, "These things are rigged…"

She had one last hope. Emma concentrated hard and finally she thought, '_Fuck it,_' and just tossed her final ring.

And it landed on a red tinted bottle. She jumped in the air and screamed, "Boo Yaaaaa!"

After her little victory dance she pointed to the giant stuffed horse and the gentleman got it down. Emma turned to Regina, "Regina…"

"What Miss Swan? Did you win that so you could rub it in my face?" said Regina coldly. Emma shook her head and shoved the horse toward Regina, "No, I won it for you."

Regina was speechless at her kind act. She took the horse and hugged it. She looked back up at Emma, "Thank you, Emma."

Emma grinned from ear to ear. Henry ran up to them, "Look Mom, Ma. I won a dog! And Ma won you the horse!"

Henry jumped up and down. Regina awkwardly bent down with the stuffed horse in her arms, "Yes she did. And I heard you helped her, thank you."

"I just told her you liked 'em," Henry smiled. Then an idea popped into his head, "Can we go into the maze? As a family?"

They made it over to the maze and saw that Rumpelstiltskin and Belle were in charge. Henry ran up and whispered something to Rumpelstiltskin. He nodded and motioned them in.

Henry ran ahead playing with the stuffed dog he won, "Arf arf."

"Don't go too far Henry. We don't want to get separated," shouted Regina. Emma turned to Regina and pointed to the horse, "I can carry that for you if you want."

Regina blushed lightly and tried to suppress a smile, "And I thought chivalry was dead."

"Nope, chivalry just likes to be bribed with bear claws and coffee," Emma said with a lopsided grin. Regina chuckled at that, "Are you asking for a date Miss Swan?"

Emma blushed a deep red and Regina smiled but they soon noticed that they couldn't see or hear Henry anymore.

"Henry?" both Regina and Emma called out. They continued on with the maze but kept running into dead ends. After a nearly an hour in the maze it was almost nightfall and they were really tired.

"Henry is probably at the exit right now laughing at how we can't find the exit," Emma said as she looked around.

"Yeah, I think you're right," Regina agreed. Emma stopped walking and cupped her ear, "Wait. What am I?"

Regina's mouth twitched into a small smile and lightly slapped Emma's arm, "That's the only time you're ever going to hear me say that."

Emma shrugged, "A girl can try."

They arrived in what seemed like a little opening inside the maze. So Regina turned to Emma, "I think we should think about resting for the night."

"Yeah," Emma looked around for the best spot and she turned back to Regina, "What do you want to d-What are you doing?"

"I'm going to sleep. What does it look like I'm doing? Hand me Rocinante," Regina said. Emma gave her a blank stare.

"The horse. I'm going to use him as a pillow and my jacket as a blanket," Regina lowered herself onto the ground with a look of disgust. Emma watched as Regina bent down then looked away quickly.

"Um, do you mind if I share Ros-Rossi-the horse?" She asked. Regina looked up at Emma and then nodded. Emma took off her jacket then laid next to Regina giving her ample space.

They heard a bang then a bright flash of light lit up the sky.

"The fireworks are starting," Emma pointed to the sky. Regina turned from her side onto her back to watch them getting closer to Emma. They stayed that way and watched the fireworks. At the very end there was one that kind of looked like a swan with a crown.

Both Emma and Regina stole a glance at each other. Regina turned back to her side and wrapped her jacket tighter around her, "Goodnight Emma."

Emma looked over at Regina's form and smiled, "Goodnight Regina."

Sometime during the night Regina moved toward Emma and began to cuddle her. She wrapped her arms around her waist and laid her head on her shoulder. When Emma felt the extra weight on her body she woke up and when she realized who it was she blushed. This raised her body heat and Regina cuddled closer. Emma noticed that Regina lost her jacket-blanket in the move and hesitantly moved Regina's jacket back over her. Then pulled her own jacket over Regina, '_That should keep you warm_.'

With that she fell back into a fitful slumber.

The next morning Regina's eyes instantly flew open at the sound of footsteps. Then she noticed her position. She blushed but realized she could get used to waking up like this. She went to move but a half awake Emma brought her hand around her waist and pulled her closer, "Hey there beautiful."

Emma smiled her signature lopsided grin.

"You need to stop this right now Miss Swan. You're tired and don't know what you're saying," Regina lightly smacked her stomach. Emma rubbed the spot and shook her head, "I know exactly what I'm saying and I think you're beautiful."

Regina stared at her their moment was interrupted by Granny and Ruby. Granny yelled, "I found 'em!"

Ruby seemed to be overly excited that they found them and was jumping up and down yelling something about a ship. Granny turned away from her granddaughter with a smile. She looked at the sleepy pair, "You're really close to the exit."

"We are?" Emma asked surprised.

"Yeah, just take two rights then a left and a final right then you're out!" Granny said with a smile. She turned to Ruby and lead them out, "We'll be waiting for you and don't worry we'll mark the exit."

"Thank you," Regina said to the retreating form.

Granny simply nodded. They turned the corner and when they thought they were alone Regina buried her head in Emma's neck. But then Granny peeked her head from the corner, "Oh, and I told you so."

Regina once again buried her head in Emma's neck. Emma chuckled and held her tight. They heard more, faster paced footsteps, coming toward them. Before they could move they were jumped on by Henry, "Moms!"

"Henry!" "Hey kid" they greeted simultaneously.

"I was worried you got lost," he said as he hugged them tight.

"We did but we're okay," Regina said as she hugged him.

"What did you ask Mr. Gold last night?" Emma asked Henry. He looked up and smiled, "I asked him if he could work in a firework themed after you guys. You're my moms and I love you. I wanted to show you that but I didn't listen and walked ahead. We got separated and you got lost. I'm sorry moms."

"It's okay just next time tell us, okay?" Emma said. Henry nodded and continued to hug them. They continued to lay there and Emma turned to Regina, "I'm…not sorry we got lost."

Regina smiled and leaned forward, "So am I."

Emma smiled back and closed the distance between them.

* * *

**A/N 2:** _I hope everyone enjoyed the fluff!_


End file.
